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The noise was
deafening and the massive concrete slab beneath their feet
shuddered. Fifty thousand men, women and children were screaming,
shouting and jumping up and down like a pack of caged animals at
feeding time, all the while focused on a large field of beautifully
manicured grass and the twenty two men who occupied it
The scoreboard read,
Home 2, Visitors 2 and time was running out. The young man from
Argentina knew exactly what he had to do and where he had to place
the ball. It had to come in low and fast and drop in just 15 feet in
front of the goal mouth. There, his best friend would be waiting,
waiting and ready to drive it past the goal keeper
There was no room
for error. The corner kick had to be perfectly placed. Years of
playing soccer in his native Argentina had honed him into a top
notch player and now, his childhood dreams had been realized, he was
playing professional ball and this kick could men the difference
between winning or losing the game.
Trim, fit, just
breaking the 6 foot barrier and sporting a full head of dark brown
hair, the young man calmly backed up five paces, then in a quick
succession of steps approached the ball, planted his left foot into
the green turf and drove the instep of his right foot into the white
leather sphere. It sailed low and upwards, curved right and dropped
down in front of the goal mouth onto the waiting head of his friend
who promptly drove it past the goalkeeper.
Professional soccer
player Aldo Luongo won his game that day but soon, a career ending
injury would later pull him away from his beloved game.
Careers can never be
measured with a calendar nor dreams with a scorecard. Brief though
his professional soccer career was, it burned brightly both on the
field and in his heart. His dream of being a professional soccer
player were fulfilled, now it was time to move on, to fulfill other
dreams.
How did the man
with a lean, sculptured body and the golden feet transform himself
into one of outstanding forces in the art field in the 20th and 21st
century? Who is the artist and professional soccer player Aldo
Luongo?
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